


Passing Down, Living On

by LookAnotherNote



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Diagon Alley, Godfather Harry, Ollivanders Wand Shop (Harry Potter), One Shot, Post-Battle of Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 15:43:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16161929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LookAnotherNote/pseuds/LookAnotherNote
Summary: Teddy Lupin had been looking forward to his 11th birthday ever since he could fathom that he was a wizard. His godfather, Harry Potter, was set to take his godson shopping for school, and in particular a wand. The wand chooses the wizard, but what happens when none of them can make up their mind?





	Passing Down, Living On

Edward Remus Lupin awoke on the morning of his 11th birthday in the same way that he always did - rolling onto his back and stretching his legs out in front of him with his arms above his head. Only on this particular morning, when he stretched his legs he found that his feet stopped short and knocked into a pile of presents sitting at the edge of his bed. Wrapped in brown paper speckled with silver stars were three parcels, and sitting atop them was the letter he had been anticipating since he was old enough to comprehend being a wizard. Stamped with a red seal bearing a coat of arms was what he knew to be his acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He jumped out of bed and grabbed the letter at once, tearing it open as fast as his hands would let him. His grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, could hear that he was awake and rushed upstairs to wish him happy birthday. He sat on his bed, reading over the letter, when there was a soft knock on his bedroom door followed by his grandmother's entrance.

"Happy birthday, Teddy, my love," she told him from the doorway of his bedroom with a smile on her face. "I see your letter was delivered in time. Are they letting you in?" 

"Yes! I can't believe it!" Teddy exclaimed, showing her the letter. "Term starts on September 1st, and the list of all my schoolbooks is there too."

Andromeda chuckled at her grandson's excitement. "I had known it would come, Teddy. There was no way they could deny you with you hair just like your mother's. It's running wild right now."

Teddy got up from his bed and walked over to the mirror that was set atop his dresser. His hair was sticking up in every direction imaginable, but the most interesting part of it was that it was rapidly changing color. Teal, magenta, orange, lime green, and every color in between flashed before his eyes as he watched each color change from one to the next. 

He had grown up knowing that he had inherited his mothers metamorphic abilities and his fathers long, lanky legs, but there was always some doubt in the back of his mind that he wouldn't receive his Hogwarts letter once he was of age. He knew his father, the wizard Remus Lupin, was a werewolf, a Hogwarts professor, and a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and that his mother, the witch Nymphodora Tonks, was a metamorphmagus, an auror, and part of the Orfer of the Phoenix as well. His godfather, Harry Potter, had informed him of everything he knew about his parents' lives - his father's time as a marauder at Hogwarts and how his mother was one of the youngest Auror's of her time. He knew his father was sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts and his mother into Hufflepuff. Most unfortunate of all, he knew that both of them had died fighting valiantly in the chaos of the Battle of Hogwarts, just a few days after he was born. He was given moving pictures of the pair of them, but much like Harry he had no memory of his parents from their short time together before they died.

He connected to Harry on almost every level. He always understood when Teddy was feeling down, and he never denied him a story or two from his time with his parents. He visited Harry and his family several times a week for dinner. Although now that he and Ginny had three children, five year old James, 3 year old Albus, and newborn Lily, and things were much more hectic, the Potter's always made time for Teddy and made him feel like family.

Harry was scheduled to pick up Teddy and take him to Diagon Alley for his birthday, and he was quick to tear through his presents and get ready before Harry arrived. After James was born, Harry would still often make time for Teddy and Teddy alone, but after Albus was born and then Lily, it was very rare that Teddy had any alone time with his godfather. This birthday was particularly special, because not only was Teddy's status as a wizard confirmed, but his godfather was taking him to Diagon Alley, just the two of them, to start his school shopping. He passed the time flipping through his brand new copy of Hogwarts, a History, until he heard a rustle on the level below him. Harry had just arrived in the fireplace via floo powder. Teddy slammed the book shut, grabbed his coat off the back of his desk chair, placed a kiss with his hand to his parents photograph like he did every morning, and bounded down the stairs to greet his godfather.

"Happy birthday, Teddy!" Harry greeted him. Light stubble speckled across his jawline, and the circle under his eyes were darker than usual - a sign that the kids had given him a hard time last night.

"Hi Harry," Teddy responded as he ran into his godfather's outstretched arms. Although he lived with his grandmother, Harry's embrace felt like home. 

After some short chit-chat with Andromeda, Harry returned back into the fireplace ready to traverse to the Leaky Cauldron through the floo network; Teddy was right at his heels like an eager puppy. He usually traveled to the Potter's using floo powder, but he had never gone any farther. He was nervous, but ready for his day out with his godfather.

Teddy had never been to Diagon Alley before, so when Harry tapped the brick wall in front of them, causing the bricks to magically peal away, Teddy could feel his jaw drop. Before him were several magical shops he could have only came up with in his dreams. Owls were soaring above them, broomsticks were floating unsupported in window displays, and witches and wizards of all ages were bustling around him. The pair had gone unnoticed for the first few moments they had spent walking down the street, until it seemed like almost every pair of eyes was on both of them. Teddy knew why, he knew that his godfather was practically famous throughout the wizarding world, but he didn't know how uncomfortable the staring would make him.

"Harry, how do you get used to all of these people staring at you all the time?" Teddy asked him, staying close next to his godfather as they made their way toward Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. "We've only just gotten here and everyone is already staring at you." 

"Staring at me?" Harry asked him. "Teddy, I think they're staring at you. You're hair cant make up it's mind between teal and yellow." Harry laughed to himself and ruffled his godson's changing hair. "Besides, you get used to it after a while. If you don't pay attention to them, they won't pay attention to you."

Teddy looked up, trying to get a look at his hair, but it was no use. As much as he tried to tame it, he hadn't yet gotten the hang of controlling what color his hair was. The rest of his features, like his nose and ears, thankfully stayed put. It was his hair that always gave him trouble. 

Harry let Teddy pick out whatever he wanted from George Weasley's shop. They paid a visit to the owner for a short while before Harry had to basically drag his godson out so they could make their way to the next shop. He took Teddy to get all of his school books from Flourish and Botts, along with a book about werewolves that looked like it was going to be tame enough.

Teddy kept eyeing the newest version of the firebolt racing broom when they stopped into Quality Quidditch Supplies. He looked up at his godfather when he was caught staring, wondering to himself whether or not he would be getting a broom that day. Harry looked at him and smiled, shaking his head no. First year's still were not allowed their own broom. Harry made a note to let Teddy have a go on one of his spare broomsticks when he was home for the Christmas holidays.

The two of them stopped at Flourean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for a quick break after Harry had purchased Teddy his own owl, as his birthday gift just as Hagrid had done for him when he took him to Diagon Alley on his 11th birthday. Teddy had picked out a dark brown horned owl with yellow eyes, and something told Harry that it's resemblance to a wolf was what had drawn his godson to it. They had one more stop to make before returning to the Potter's for Teddy's birthday dinner and cake. Teddy had been begging Harry to take him to Ollivander's ever since they had set foot into Diagon Alley. Harry knew that if they had gone to the wandmaker's first that Teddy wouldn't be able to focus on anything else around him. Plus, he got a kick out of making his godson wait.

Teddy ran toward the door of Ollivander's once they had finished their ice cream. Harry followed slowly with a smile on his face while Teddy held the handle of the door, beckoning for his godfather to hurry up. Once Teddy opened the door and entered the shop he fell silent. Hundreds upon thousands of wand boxes were stacked on shelves fifteen feet tall, taking his breath away. He could practically feel all of the magic pouring out of his body, searching for the perfect wand that he would be able to call his own.

Mr. Ollivander was standing by the counter, a smile quickly filling his wrinkled face when he saw Harry before him with the boy he knew to be Remus and Dora's son. 

"Hello, Harry," Ollivander greeted Harry like an old friend. Leaving the counter quickly to grasp Harry's hand. "And you must be Edward," he looked toward Teddy. "There's no mistaking you are your mother's son. Are you ready to find your wand?" 

Teddy grasped the man's outstretched hand. "Thank you, sir. Yes, sir, I am." 

"Very well," Ollivander told Teddy with a smile before turning and disappearing into the back, searching the many shelves to try and find the right wand.

Harry smiled at the eager boy next to him, remembering how nervous he had been when Mr. Ollivander had searched for his very own wand many years ago. Teddy looked up at his godfather, looking a little worried. Harry ruffled his hair once more and pulled him into a quick one-armed hug. 

Ollivander returned with a few boxes, arranging them on the counter and removing them from their boxes for Teddy to try. "Go ahead, boy, pick one up and give it a wave." 

Teddy hesitated until Harry gently nudged him forward. He nervouslt grabbed the first wand in the line up, waiting for something to happen. He expected some grand epiphany to his him or for sparks to start flying from the tip. Instead, nothing happened. 

"Go on, give it a wave," Ollivander told him, waiting for something to happen just as much as Teddy was.

Teddy waved the wand lazily. A few wand boxes fell off the top shelf, but nothing else. Ollivander shook his head and motioned for Teddy to try the next one.

Soon enough, Teddy felt like he had tried every wand in the shop without any luck. There were no sparks, no warmth in his hand at any wand's touch, and no moment of grandeur where he know the wand had chosen him. Instead, he had broken a couple of vials, made the candles go out several times, and made a few sickles disappear from the cash register.After an hour and a half of trying to get a wand to work correctly for him, Teddy was beginning to second guess whether or not his Hogwarts letter should have even came in the first place. If he couldn't get a wand to work for him, how was he supposed to go to school and learn how to be a wizard?

They left the shop once both men noticed that Teddy was starting to lose hope. Mr. Ollivander assured him that he had seen this happen before. Sometimes it took magical folks several visits to his shop to find the right wand. Harry comforted him and told him he would take him back next weekend, until they found the wand that was perfect for them. The two grown ups shared a few short words before Harry lead Teddy out of the shop.

Gathering all of their belongings, Teddy and Harry traveled to the Potter's residence, where the majority of Dumbledore's Army was waiting to celebrate Teddy's birthday. Almost all of the Weasleys had shown up, except Charlie and Bill, Neville had come with a bottle of firewhiskey, and Luna came with an odd looking plant that none of them had seen before. The company cheered him up, but he couldn't let go of the fact that none of the wands he tried had worked for him. All throughout dinner and dessert Teddy couldn't shake his feeling of hopelessness. What if none of the wands picked him? What if there wasn't a wand in the entire world that was compatible to him? Was it because he was a metamorphmagus? Was it because his father was a werewolf? Questions were running laps through his head, and before he knew it all the company had left and it was almost time for Teddy to return home to his grandmother.

"Teddy," Harry questioned, placing a gentle hand on his godson's shoulder.

Teddy let his thoughts leave him for just a moment as he looked up into his godfather's green eyes. He smiled slightly; he always smiled when he looked at Harry.

"Will you follow me up into the attic? I have something I think I should show you." 

Teddy nodded and got up from the chair he seemed to feel glued to moments ago. He followed Harry into the hallway where a ladder descended before them, leading up to the attic. Harry went up first and Teddy followed; Harry had to pull his godson up when he struggled to get through the ceiling entrance.

Curiously, Teddy followed Harry to the very back corner of the attic where several dusty boxes had been stacked long ago and since forgotten. After some rearranging, Harry pulled a box from the bottom of the stack and opened it. He knelt down beside it, motioning for Teddy to join him.

Teddy peered into the box curiously, the suspense killing him, but it quickly disappeared when he found nothing interesting inside. He looked at his godfather questioningly.

Harry plunged his arm into the box, rummaging around until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out two smaller boxes, just like the ones Ollivander had pulled from the shelves, although they were much older and more worn. 

"I had forgotten that I had these," Harry told him, setting the boxes down in front of Teddy. "After your parents died, we decided that I should hold on to their wands, should you want them some day. Before we left the shop earlier, Ollivander asked me if I knew what had happened to their wands. He suggested if I knew where they were, that I should have you try them out. Go on." 

Teddy stared, awestruck at the boxes looking up at him. With a shaky hand, he opened the box to his left.

"Rowan and unicorn hair," Harry told him. "That was your mother's wand."

Teddy's heart was about to pound out of his chest. He had heard stories of his parents, worn their over sized sweaters and seen moving pictures of them, but this was the closest he was going to get to his parents lives. A wand has a magical connection to the witch or wizard it picks to yield it. These wands had a special connection to his parents, his parents had used them in the Battle of Hogwarts. They were the wands that failed to protect his parents from death.

Suddenly Teddy dropped his mother's wand box and backed away from it. "I don't want either of those," he told Harry, his voice breaking with sadness. "If those wands were good enough my parents would still be alive." 

Harry, caught off guard at his godson's sudden burst of emotion, stood up and approached the boy standing before him. He placed his hands on his godson's shoulders and could feel him shaking. "Teddy, listen to me. Your parents may have been killed with these wands in their hands, but they died fighting for you." 

Teddy crumbled into Harry's arms, letting the tears welling in his eyes flow freely. He was trying to keep his sobs at bay.

"Your parents fought in the Battle of Hogwarts with the hope that you would grow up in a world free of terror and violence," Harry told him, rubbing his back and holding him close. "They died defending their legacy. You are their legacy, Teddy Lupin. These wands were used to protect you, in a sense. So why don't we sit back down and try again. Mr. Ollivander thinks we might find something extraordinary."

Teddy took a deep breath and pulled away from Harry, wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath to steady himself. He followed Harry back over to where the wand boxes lay abandoned. He knelt back down, Harry next to him, and pulled his mother's wand out of it's box. 

The wand felt warm in his hand, like an old friend. It felt like it was trying to tell him something, so he gave it a wave and the pile of boxes that Harry had re-stacked in the corner toppled over suddenly, knocking an old lamp over. 

Teddy looked up at his godfather with a questioning look, but Harry shook his head. Teddy placed the wand back in the box but left the cover off. People were always telling him how much his hair reminded them of his mother. After Harry's explanation he figured her wand would work best for him. He felt a bit let down, but knew he still had one more wand to go. His mood wasn't completely diminished, he had at least felt some sort of comforting warmth when he held his mother's wand in his hand.

He picked up the wand box that he knew had belonged to his father, his hands shaking less now. 

"Your father's," Harry told him with a smile. "Cypress and unicorn hair."

Teddy removed the wand from the box and at once, all of his worries were put at ease. His father's wand was just as warm in his hand as his mother's was, only this time the moment he picked it up it felt as if the room had been hit with a sudden breeze. His hair started turning colors rapidly, and with a single wave he made every single box in the attic levitate a foot off the ground. Teddy heard his godfather gasp and then laugh beside him.

"Brilliant, Teddy!" Harry exclaimed.

Teddy lowered the wand and all of the boxes drifted slowly back into their places. He stared down at his father's wand in his hand. Although, he thought to himself, the wand was his now. The wand that had spent 27 years with his father, throughout his years at Hogwarts up until the day he died after which it sat dormant in Harry Potter's attic for 11 years, awaiting it's owners son to master it just like his father had. 

Teddy Lupin used that very same wand for the rest of his life. It was his most prized possession. He kept his mother's in his possession, picking it up every once in a while and finding that it was still warm to the touch. On the days when Teddy longed to have his parents next to him, to talk to, to cry to, to find comfort in, he would take out the wands and set them on his bed or his table. He would let them sit for a while, just long enough for the handles to get cold. Then, he would take the wands in each of his hands so he could feel that familiar, sudden warmth. It was as if his parents had just set their wands down and were waiting for him, ready to show that even in death, they were always there.


End file.
